Showing posts with label Grigor Dimitrov. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grigor Dimitrov. Show all posts
Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Sunday, 5 July 2026
Sunday, 8 March 2026
Tuesday, 8 July 2025
Thursday, 27 March 2025
Wednesday, 30 October 2024
MEDVEDEV LOOSES TO AUSTRALIAN POPYRIN AT PARIS MASTERS
 |
| Australia's Alexei Popyrin beat Daniil Medvedev for the first time in his career (JULIEN DE ROSA |
Daniil Medvedev is still searching for his first ATP tournament victory this year after the world number five lost to Australia's Alexei Popyrin for the first time in his career at the Paris Masters on Wednesday.
Medvedev won the Paris title in 2020 but has not found the indoor tournament to his liking in recent years -- the defeat to Popyrin is the third successive time he has gone out in his opening round.
Popyrin, who has been in a rich vein of form this year winning his first Masters tournament in Montreal in August and beating Novak Djokovic in the US Open, edged Medvedev 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a gripping second round match.
For Popyrin, ranked 24 in the world, it was only his third win over a player in the top five.
"It is the first time I have beaten him (in four meetings)," said Popyrin, who will play the winner of the match between France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Karen Khachanov of Russia.
"We have had some right old battles in the past and it is a real pleasure to have performed like this this time round."
Medvedev, who has already qualified for the season-ending Masters, fought back twice in the deciding set.
He came back from 4-1 down to force a tie-break and then trailing 4-1 in that he levelled at 4-4.
However, with Popyrin leading 5-4, Medvedev double-faulted giving the 25-year-old Australian two match points and he wasted no time in sealing the victory on the first one.
Medvedev is not the first high profile seed to fall at the first hurdle as his compatriot Andrey Rublev and Norway's Casper Ruud have already lost.
Carlos Alcaraz remains in the mix having won his first match on Tuesday and is favoured to take the title after Italian world number one Jannik Sinner withdrew from the tournament due to an intestinal virus.
Alcaraz will play France's Ugo Humbert in the third round, the French number one breezed past America's Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday.
A potential dark horse for the title is Bulgarian eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov who beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7 (9/11), 6-3, 7-5.
Dimitrov still has a chance of qualifying for the Masters, if he won the Paris title he would move past Djokovic (sixth), Ruud (seventh) and Rublev (eighth).
Just the top eight qualify for the climax to the ATP season in Turin.
"I would give a lot to be in (Turin)," said Dimitrov, who reached the Paris final last year.
"I'm in a place where I am still a contender, I'm still fighting against the best players in the world, and still beating the younger guys.
"This gives me confidence and makes me happy."
Germany's world number three Alexander Zverev is already booked into Turin and begins his Paris campaign later on Wednesday against the Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor.
- AFP
Monday, 7 October 2024
Wednesday, 4 September 2024
Tuesday, 3 September 2024
Tuesday, 4 June 2024
DJOKOVIC ROCKS FRENCH OPEN WITH WITHDRAWAL, SINNER ASSURED OF TOP RANKING
 |
| USA TODAY Sports |
Novak Djokovic's French Open title defence ended with a whimper following the top seed's withdrawal due to a right knee problem while Jannik Sinner celebrated his imminent takeover as world number one with a crushing win over Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday.
There was no drama on the women's side as holder Iga Swiatek continued her quest for a fourth Roland Garros trophy by hitting top gear during a 6-0 6-2 victory over 2019 runner-up Marketa Vondrousova to also reach the semi-finals.
American third seed Coco Gauff earlier fought back to beat fan-favourite Ons Jabeur 4-6 6-2 6-3 and will take on Swiatek in a tantalising rematch of their 2022 final, which the Pole won.
Roland Garros was rocked towards the end of Sinner's routine win as organisers announced that Djokovic had withdrawn from his 2023 final rematch with seventh seed Casper Ruud in the last-eight on Wednesday.
It meant that Sinner, who ended Djokovic's quest for an 11th Australian Open title en route to his first Grand Slam trophy in January, will also take his top ranking next Monday and become the first Italian to do so.
 |
| USA TODAY Sports |
Djokovic needed a superhuman effort and five sets to subdue Argentine Francisco Cerundolo on Monday after being dragged the distance for a second straight contest and the Serb aggravated the injury he had been carrying by slipping on court.
The French Open said MRI results revealed that Djokovic, who played on with pain-killers, had suffered a torn medial meniscus that prompted him to take the decision.
It was the latest in a series of unfortunate events for the 37-year-old, who won three out of the four majors last year but has looked off the pace this season, with defeats and an injury threatening his bid for Wimbledon and Paris Olympics glory.
Even as Djokovic arrived at Roland Garros to clean out his locker, Sinner was easing to a 6-2 6-4 7-6(3) win over Dimitrov and the 22-year-old said he had achieved a lifelong dream, even if it was not the way he expected to.
"What can I say? First of all it's every player's dream to be number one. On the other hand, seeing Novak retiring here is, for everyone, disappointing. I wish him a quick recovery," Sinner said.
The Australian Open champion could face a potentially tricky test against two-times Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz or former Roland Garros runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas who face off later.
- Sridhar
Sunday, 18 February 2024
Friday, 13 October 2023
Thursday, 12 October 2023
Sunday, 3 September 2023
Friday, 1 September 2023
Tuesday, 11 July 2023
ALCARAZ AND DJOKOVIC STILL ON COLLISION COURSE | RYBAKINA INTO WIMBLEDON QUARTER-FINALS
 |
| Reuters |
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz remained on collision course at Wimbledon with fourth-round victories on Monday while Elena Rybakina and Ons Jabeur set up a repeat of last year's final.
Defending champion Djokovic conceded his first set of the tournament as he was briefly thrown off balance by Poland's Hubert Hurkacz on the resumption of their contest.
The 36-year-old, who led by two sets when Wimbledon's curfew halted his progress on Sunday, quickly recovered to claim a 7-6(6) 7-6(6) 5-7 6-4 victory in his 100th match at the tournament.
Wednesday, 5 July 2023
MEDVEDEV, SWIATEK CRUISE AS CLIMATE PROTESTERS DISRUPT WIMBLEDON
 |
| Reuters |
Summary
• Swiatek, Medvedev ease through
• Just Stop Oil protesters disrupt two matches on Court 18
• Tiafoe, Fritz make round two on rain-hit day
Daniil Medvedev quelled the challenge of wildcard Arthur Fery and Marta Kostyuk fought back to upset Maria Sakkari and storm into the Wimbledon second round on a rainy Wednesday when two matches were disrupted by protesters.
Women's top seed Iga Swiatek outclassed Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-2 6-0 and Daria Kasatkina thumped Jodie Burrage 6-0 6-2 to reach the third round before organisers worked to clear the backlog of first-round matches.
Tuesday, 6 June 2023
Saturday, 27 May 2023
Sunday, 22 January 2023
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)